Zuko: The First Steamer
by LavenderHaze
Summary: The war is over. Zuko is now Fire Lord who has to clean up after his father's mess. But how can he do it with expectant nobles, threatening assassins, and worst of all, TWO love interests? Who will he choose? xZutarax


**Hey guys! Guess what? It's me… Again. With a whole, new story! Well, I've decided that the last one (**_**Evaporate My Tears**_**) sounded **_**way **_**too much like my last fic since the setting and overall plot was pretty much the same.**

**Now, I came up with a NEW idea for a new story and it's going to be different than my other one (**_**Learning from the Enemy**_**), which I consider one of my better ones.**

**Title- **_**Zuko: The First Royal Steamer**_

**FULL Summary- **The war is over. Zuko now rules as Fire Lord, restoring peace and honor to the broken nation. He realizes a mission like this is certainly a near impossible one what with threatening assassins, demanding nobles, and two love interests. Who will he choose? An old flame or newfound close friend with bending skills to match his own? This is a story about bonding with family, discovering love, and settling disputes with a revelation of a different kind of peace.

**Funny. I called Zuko the first steamer. Obviously, it'd be a Zutara fic and well, their two elements are fire and water. When they're mixed together, it creates a soothing steam. And really, I don't think that there's ever been a member of the royal Fire Nation family who's mingled with a peer of the opposite element. So, in that case, Zuko is the FIRST royal steamer. So… ON WITH THE STORY!**

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**Prologue**

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Ozai is gone. How many times did that exact statement run through his mind? Too many to count. The new Fire Lord shuffled a few papers and set them aside, much to the relief of his uncle, who sat in a corner, sipping tea.

"Prince Zuko, I forgot to hand you this invitation a messenger gave me yesterday." The wise general Iroh reached into his sleeve to withdraw a parchment wrapped in a delicate sating bow, dyed in a rich, shade of aqua.

"Uncle, it's _Lord _now." Zuko let out an exasperated sigh and got up to retrieve the letter.

As his calloused hands snatched their prize, his heart raced a million miles. Suddenly he felt glad the short, snappy earthbender wasn't here to make fun of his nervousness, which was an emotion he was _still _trying to deny. Shaking off the thought, he unfurled the yellowing paper, which cracked at his hastiness. He pocketed the blue ribbon before reading, for fear of losing the only other trace of Katara he had left.

The two equal benders had gotten close over the perilous journey of invading the Fire Nation to destroy his father. They found a LOT in common (such as a flaring temper) and bonded, picking up from the scene back at the crystal catacombs in Ba Sing se.

"Go on. Read it," Iroh urged, taking another soothing gulp of jasmine tea, eyes closed in relaxation.

Zuko promptly scanned the words written in black ink. He liked to think it was on impulse, rather than obeying his general uncle.

_You are cordially invited to the OFFICIAL Aang GAang reunion!!! It will be held at the new and improved South Pole, hosted by the one and only Sokka. Refreshments are provided by the chefs of the Southern Water Tribe. Plus, extra cozy rooms will be included for guests to stay the remainder of the night. In the morning, we will also have canoes for guests to travel back to their homeland._

_Time: 5p.m. to 1a.m. _

_Where: At the South Pole in the chief's home_

_RSVP via messenger hawk to Ms. Katara, daughter of Chief Hakoda or Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe himself_

Judging by the scrawny chicken scratch writing, the firebender could tell Sokka wrote this himself. It was pretty typical of him to hold a gathering such as this.

"What does it say?" Iroh stood up to peer over the top of the paper. His old eyes brightened immediately after reading the first line. "Of course we MUST attend! We haven't seen them in so long. It's only courteous of us to go."

"Uncle, I have a lot of work to do." Zuko eyed the papers on his desk.

"Fire Lord Zuko, we _will _go. Hand the signing to some underlings."

The scarred bender collapsed into his desk chair, knowing that his uncle's tone brooked no argument. And besides, he had no energy to fight right then. His mind was occupied with too many thoughts of Katara….

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**TADA!!! What do you think of the prologue? I actually first wrote this in an airport, but what the heck. It turned out great! I edited and revised a bit after reading it over a few times. So… Hope you guys REVIEW!!! It'd be muchos appreciated.**

**Oh, and yet again, I'm asking for a beta reader. Who wants to be one? Just apply by filling out the form below:**

Name:

Fanfics written:

Why:

**Heck, I filled out an example form for you guys since I was bored…**

Name: Lei-Ming Yamatsuki

Fanfics written: Blood Red Tears, My Sanity, The Heart's Insolence

Why: I take a LOT of English classes and I tutor in composition. This would be a very good chance for me to prove my skills!


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